


Pain of the Past

by dearfudgemuffins



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Melissa is a loving mother and tries to help Theo, Melissa knows everything, Suicidal Thoughts, Theo faces his past, depressed Theo, liam tries to help, theo is struglling with his emotions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-02-16 18:42:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13059876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearfudgemuffins/pseuds/dearfudgemuffins
Summary: The end of the war and the Anuk-Ite is a relief to all citizens of Beacon Hills. But for Theo, this isn't the end. This isn't the end to his fear, his pain. His past doesn't cease to scar him everyday. He still needs to face all the pain he's been through and have put others through. Theo still has an entire journey to go through to be able to forgive himself and apologize for the pain he has caused.





	1. Chapter 1

After the war, Theo doesn't know what to do. Doesn't know where to go. He has no house and he's not sure he can handle another night in his truck. Not tonight. Not after the Anuk-Ite, not after the battle and emotions that have been flooding his being all night. It's too much and he can barely stand the overwhelming rush of the pain and grief and relief and just _so many feelings_.  _Too many._  
  
But Melissa seems to know. She always knows. Because she's looking at him as they all stand outside the hospital, relief swimming in the air, coming from the others. Sure, Theo is relieved but it's only one of the many emotions swimming in his head. But Theo is looking away from everything. And Melissa knows why. Her years as a mother of a teenage boy and werewolf has made her perspective and right now, she can see right through Theo.   
  
Yes, he's relieved there are no more hunters trying to kill him- for now at least. But Theo feels so, _so broken_. And _tired_. He can't stop thinking. He can't stop thinking to stop thinking. Theo just wants it all to _stop_. There are too many emotions attacking him and making him think. Think. Think.  
  
And he looks so ready to cry and then sleep himself dead. He just wants to lie down for a few days, maybe even a few weeks. Or forever. Theo doesn't know how and where to go from here. He's never really been through such a thing.  _Is it worth it?  To keep going through this?_  
  
Melissa can tell. She knows, as she looks at Theo. She knows through all the things he's done, he's sorry, he's hurt. She sees the conflict in his eyes and the exhaustion setting on his face. She sees and realizes the change in the chimera, as Liam has.  
  
_And she sees something else_. She sees Theo as he tries to look away. Look away from Liam, who's relieved and hugging Corey and Mason. She sees not jealousy, but longing. Melissa knows. And Theo is relieved, really relieved. That he doesn't need to speak right now and that she doesn't try to make him talk about it, not _now_. He's glad she understands.  
  
Theo needs this. He needs to feel relief right now. He's so _done_ with conflict, he just wants it to end. And Melissa gets it and he's just, _relieved_.  
  
Nothing is really said, but Theo understands. He understands when Melissa brushes a strand of his hair out of his face and smiles warmly at him. A motherly gesture that he rarely got as a kid. Its been _so long,_ _too long,_  since someone has treated him like this. Like a kid, like a _person_. And he tries to suppress it but he can't. He gives her a small pained smile and there are tears in his eyes.  
  
"You can stay with us, okay?" She says to him, because she knows and she doesn't really know how no one else knows about Theo. About what's going through his head and his homelessness.

Melissa doesn't know how the others haven't realized or haven't cared enough to think of the poor boy with no one in his life. But she also understands her son, and she understands what this boy, this chimera, has done to  _her son._ And she's not ready to forgive Theo, she really isn't, but she understands that he needs something, someone in his life right now. On his side and ready to help him. Yes, he's a monster, a chimera and a murderer, but he's also a _boy_. A boy who was manipulated and used his whole life, who doesn't quite understand what's wrong and what's right and where certain emotions should go.

Theo Raeken is a boy who has spent many years unloved. Melissa knows. And she wants to help this poor, unloved boy.

And he tries to object to what she says because he doesn't want to burden her, but she places her hands on his shoulders decidedly, like she isn't giving him a choice. But he knows that she is. Giving him a choice, because she doesn't demand him to do things. Like the Dread Doctors did. She wants to give him the freedom of choice. Because _she knows_.  
  
"At least for tonight," She says, her eyes pleading for him to take up the offer. "And after you can decide if you want to stay."  
  
She doesn't want Theo living in his car. She doesn't want to see him more broken and tired than now. She can't stand to let anything worse happen to him. She hasn't yet looked past all the things he has done but she sees the change in Theo. And she wants to help him redeem himself.  
  
"Ok," is all Theo can say and his voice is strained because he feels like crying now.  
  
But Melissa smiles and Theo is not sure if he wants to cry out of relief of the present or from the pain of his past.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Theo doesn't say anything when he enters the McCall house. He just looks around like he's lost, but he's been here before, and he's observant, so he knows exactly where he is. But he can't help it. The Dread Doctors used to drill things like this into his head. _Asses your surroundings, use them to your advantage_. Theo is still trying to burn away the Dread Doctor's programming from his head.

He forces to look in only one place, trying to coach himself that he doesn't need to do things like that as much anymore. Theo tries to teach himself certain things that the Dread Doctor's couldn't teach him. Like social skills that he couldn't learn while he spent years living underground and isolated from the world. As observant as he is, he has a hard time trying to execute the things he observes. Theo can't help his dry humour and bluntness, it's just what came naturally to him. He doesn't know anything else from that. This is how he grew up, how he was raised, by Doctors who manipulated his brain to think of personal gain and to be bitter. He feels like he's a kid again, learning about the world and about himself all over again.

He feels Melissa slip in the house in the small room Theo has left between himself and the door. She doesn't bother to turn on the light, just sits right down on one of the chairs in the kitchen. He can tell she's downright exhausted and he doesn't blame her, he is too. He feels her worry, for what Theo assumes is for Scott. Theo knows Scott is okay and so is everyone else, he had texted Melissa not long after they had finished their battle in the hospital. But Theo says nothing about it, just closes the door behind him and doesn't move. Another thing Theo has never learnt, is how to comfort someone. He doesn't know how to make someone feel better, and he can barely take from his experience, since no one had tried very hard to comfort him in the past. He's only just started to be able to comprehend how to take another's physical pain, but emotional pain was much different.

Melissa sighs quietly and sends a reassuring smile to Theo. Theo frowns when it seems that Melissa seems to know what's going on in his head. He doesn't know how she does that, how she just knows all the time.

"I'm gonna wait up for Scott," She says, breaking the silence, starting to push her hair up into a ponytail. "You can use the shower and sleep in the guest bedroom. Need anything, just let me know, okay?"

Theo just swallows and nods. Melissa doesn't want to overwhelm Theo even more than he already is. She knows he's realizing things, like how deep emotions can run and how they affect someone. Especially himself. Theo has spent his life repressing emotions, covering them up with arrogance, a neutral face and violence. The Dread Doctors had forced him to be this way, cold and cruel. Now, Theo is finding it difficult to be able to do that again and he's not sure he actually can. He feels the emotions engulfing him slowly and he's not sure he wants to stop them. He's never felt like this, so free.

Melissa lets him be free, gives him choices, and he's immensely grateful for her. So she doesn't bring anything supernatural up, she just gives him a brief layout of where everything is and Theo quietly slips away upstairs. He finds the guest bedroom first, sitting on the bed. He really wants to just sleep but he's full of blood and grime and he doesn't want Melissa's sheet to be stained. Theo feels bad enough that she has to have him under her roof and let him use her things, so he doesn't want to add another problem on her list of inconveniences.  

So, he finds the bathroom and strips out of his dirty clothes. He notes a few bullet holes in his shirt, but he can't do anything about them so he pushes that observation to the back of his mind and turns on the water. At least the bullets were out of his skin and he was all healed.

As soon as Theo steps under the hot, steady stream, he can feel his muscles relax, and he feels so tired, yet so awake at the same time. It's been so long, too long since Theo has had a nice, hot shower and this is just exactly what he needs right now. He lets the water envelop him completely and for a few minutes he just stands there, enjoying the hell out of the warmth.

He's not sure he has the strength to do anything but stand there, but he forces himself to use the products laying on the ledge of the shower. He's dirty and his hair is beyond greasy so it's such a relief when he runs shampoo through it and thoroughly washes himself. He scratches at his scalp roughly trying to get rid of any and all dirt residing there and scrubs his skin until he's red all over.

Theo doesn't know how long he's been standing under the spray but he decides it's probably been long enough and he steps out. He quickly dries himself off with a towel he found in a cabinet and wraps the towel around his waist, since he doesn't want to change into his dirty clothes. He isn't really sure what he's going to do or wear, but he really doesn't want to ask Melissa and he sure as hell won't ask Scott for clothes.

But when he steps into the guest bedroom, he notices a pile of clothes folded onto the end of his bed and he's relieved. Of course Melissa wouldn't forget something like this. So Theo closes the door and changes into the clothes that have been laid out, which smell clean and new. He's actually not sure if these are Scott's, since he can't smell any lingering scent of the Alpha, only of Melissa, since she was the one who brought them into the room. Theo quickly changes, exhaustion setting in rapidly, fogging up his brain.

There's a knock at his door, and when Theo opens it, he's greeted by Scott. Theo frowns, he doesn't remember hearing Scott come inside, but he guessed he'd been so tired and overwhelmed by other things, his senses hadn't picked up on the werewolf entering the house.

"Hey," Scott says simply and Theo is slightly confused at the calm and casual tone. When Theo says nothing in response and just continues to look at him, Scott takes it as a sign to get to the point. "Uh, I just wanted to say, thanks."

Theo reeks of confusion and he can tell because he's so tired, he doesn't try to mask it. He knows the Alpha can smell chemo signals and can identify them, so there's no doubt he can smell the confusion swimming around Theo.

"For saving Liam and helping my mom, Mason and Corey." Scott clarifies. "And for, well taking Gabe's pain. I know that must've been, uh-" Scott stops because he doesn't actually know how Theo would react to this sort of situation. Would it have been painful for him? Difficult? 

At Scott's words, Theo ducks his head down, because he can feel the pain and the sadness again and he doesn't want to. He tries to grind his teeth and act tough, like it didn't bother him, but he can't. Because it did bother him, it changed him.

"Liam told me how much you helped and I just wanted to say thank you. For helping us," Scott continues awkwardly because he honestly doesn't know how to talk to Theo. He doesn't know how he will react and what will please him. The only one who seems to understand the chimera is Liam.

But Theo nods and when he looks up his eyes are glossy and he sends the Alpha a smile that was meant to look grateful. He ends up just giving Scott a pained smile, but thankfully he seems to understand what Theo is trying to say. Scott looks at Theo and he notices the small changes in him already.

"Get some sleep," Scott says in a caring voice, giving Theo a half smile.

"Thanks," Theo says in what he hopes is a normal voice.

Scott just sends him a warm smile and turns around to retreat to his room. Theo closes the door quietly, crawling into the bed and snuggling into the covers. He's too tired to think, so it's not surprising when he falls asleep quickly.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo's having a hard time adjusting to domesticity and his new feelings.

 

The next morning, Theo is pleasantly surprised when he wakes up with sunlight shining on his face and the smell of pancakes and bacon wafting in the air. He has never woken up to anything like this, his parents hadn't been the cooking type, especially for breakfast, and the Dread Doctors were all sewers and whatever meals Theo could scrounge up himself.

Theo sighs in content, curling in on himself. He pulls the blankets up and over his nose, closing his eyes as soon as he feels a waft of tiredness. Even though Theo's sore and tired, he actually feels peaceful. He's never had this, even if it's as simple as laying down in an actual comfortable bed, able to sleep in as much as he wants and with the smell of breakfast in the air instead of rot.

Theo is so comfortable, he finds himself falling asleep again, which he hasn't done in years. He usually wakes up, gets up and gets through the day.

The next time Theo wakes up, he feels just as good. He closes his eyes relishing in the feeling of his un-tense muscles, his head clear of thought. Theo feels like he has no more worries, no more weight on his shoulders.

But Theo feels it all creeping in slowly, the lingering itch beneath his skin, the seeming never ending pain resting in the back of his head and the uncomfortable feeling settling down in his spine. He tries to stay calm, comfortable, but he can't. He tries to ignore it as best he can, focus on the content that had settled in his stomach, but he can't. The warm feeling slowly seeps away, the sunlight starts to feel too warm, too bright and un-comforting and all that is left is panic setting behind his eyes and swarming in his head.

His thoughts always gets the best of him, he's never been able to avoid them. They always find a way to sneak past any feeling of content or comfort. It's weird how he's feeling his thoughts run rapidly through his head, but he can't actually grasp any of them. 

Soon, the panic becomes too much and Theo needs to open his eyes. He sits up in the bed, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed to take slow breaths. Sure, he has felt fear, he has spent most of his life in fear, but this is different. The fear seeping in his neck, sitting on his shoulders, invading every thought in his head. All he can think is to panic, there is nothing else to do in that moment but do so. He doesn't want to sleep anymore, but he doesn't want to leave the bed either. Theo's paralyzed by the feeling.

He doesn't know how long he's been sitting there, but at some point there's a knock at the door that surprises him. Theo looks at the door, not moving for a second, a wave of panic overwhelming him. However, the feeling quickly dissipates when he hears Melissa's soft voice drift through the wood of the door. Melissa's presence is reassuring to Theo, she's already becoming like a mother figure to Theo.

"Theo?"

Theo curses at himself for not using his chimera senses like he usually does, like he's been trained to do in the case of danger. There was a war  _yesterday_ , it was no time for Theo's abilities to falter. He should have known it was Melissa long before she had spoken. 

"Uh," Theo clears his throat when his voice comes out scratchy, in hopes to clear it, "come in."

He hears Melissa hand hesitate on turning the door knob, but she clearly shakes it off and slowly opens the door. She looks at him, propped up on the headboard, blankets sitting on his lap and bunched in his fists. She leans her head against the doorway, her hand still on the door knob.

"Morning," Melissa breathes out, giving him comforting smile- which she seems to be doing a lot, Theo notes. "So, uh, there's breakfast downstairs, if you want. You can use anything that's in the bathroom or anything in general. Make yourself, um, at home. If you need anything let me know."

Theo feels his shoulder tense a bit at this, since he's never really had a home, so he doesn't really know the meaning of this. He doesn't really understand the meaning of many domestic actions. But he appreciates that Melissa is making the effort of making him feel welcome into her home.

Theo expects her to leave, but when he sees her still waiting, he sees that Melissa wants him to respond. "Oh, uh, sure."

Theo's glad for Melissa. She had let him make his own choices and had waited for him to answer her, unlike the Dread Doctors who had ordered Theo around and left before Theo could really say anything or defy them. He can understand why everyone likes Melissa so much, she's such an understanding and compassionate person. Theo thinks it would be practically impossible to not like Melissa. 

"So, here's a toothbrush," She says, putting one and a tube of toothpaste on the end of his bed. _Weird, he hadn't noticed her holding that_ (Theo wonders how he's become so un-observant in the last few hours). Melissa really thinks of everything, which is probably why she's an amazing mom, friend and nurse. "So when you're ready, you can come down, okay?"

Theo nods in response at that, forcing a smile on his face. He wants to tell her he appreciates what she's done without actually speaking, finding that he's not very gifted with sentimentality. But then Theo figures he probably looks like he's cringing, so he decides it would probably better to just speak his gratitude instead. 

"Thank you," Theo says simply, as Melissa is closing the door to the bedroom he's in.

Melissa stops for a moment before sending him a big smile and closing the door. Theo's glad that Melissa doesn't pressure him to do anything he doesn't feel like doing. He sees that she cares for him and that all she wants to do is help, no matter the things he's done in the past. Melissa understands that people can change and well, Theo is changing drastically, for the better.

Theo only realizes when he hears Melissa slip back into the kitchen that the panicked feeling is gone.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Theo doesn't move from the bed for another 40 minutes. He just sits and listens to Scott and Melissa busying themselves downstairs and talking. He hears Scott tell Melissa that the pack and their allies are coming over soon so they can recuperate from the previous stressful events and well, just be together. 

Theo understands, the pack is stronger in every way together. Recuperating from such traumatic events were better to be done together, where they could support each other. 

It's then that Theo decides to go downstairs, because honestly he's really hungry and he wants to eat before everyone gets to the house. Theo doesn't want to be in the pack's way, he sure doesn't want to upset anyone even more than they already are. So he heads downstairs, hoping to eat, have as minimal interaction with the McCalls as possible and head back upstairs before they all get here.

When Theo enters the kitchen, Melissa acknowledges his presence with her usual smile, before going back to cooking mounds of food for everyone coming over later. However, Scott looks at Theo and doesn't stop looking at him until the chimera sits in front of him at the table. The Alpha looks away, noticing the action had been a bit odd. Scott looks a bit awkward from having Theo around, not really knowing how to act around the chimera and honestly, Theo doesn't really know how to act around Scott either. Without Liam there, being the middle ground between the chimera and the alpha, it's hard to talk each other. Usually it isn’t hard for Scott to communicate with someone or to get through to them one way or another, but talking to Theo is hard. Scott doesn’t know anything about Theo anymore, he's a complete enigma to Scott. Theo feels a hint of worry flash through him when he feels Scott's confusion and hopelessness. Theo frowns, wondering first, if he can help him and second, when he started to care about the werewolf.  If Theo wasn't as observant as he is, he would have missed the slight crease in between Scott's eyebrows.

There's something happening to Theo and he can feel it, coursing through his body. He feels less numb than he has in a really long time. Theo feels his own lingering confusion and the panic that has settled around him like a shield. The panic is bitter and strong and Theo wonders how Scott can really sit near him right now without being completely overwhelmed by it. 

Scott is stronger than Theo had once thought. The Alpha is constantly proving himself to being the most powerful supernatural creature Theo has ever met. And really, Scott's power and strength never stops, it just keeps growing, getting bigger and more secure as his pack expands in numbers and knowledge. 

Theo's glad he has stopped dreaming of becoming an Alpha, especially being the one from this pack. They're guarded and powerful and Theo now knows to never mess with their balance and resilience. Theo doubts there will ever be anyone or anything that will break the pack. Their trust for each other creates a force that is near unbreakable. Theo wishes someone was as loyal to him as the members of the pack are to each other.

Theo's pulled out of his thoughts when Melissa places a plate in front of Theo. The wonderful smell of pancakes and bacon makes Theo's mouth water. It's been so long since he's had such food and he's pushing away the urge to shove the whole plate's content right into his mouth at that exact moment. Instead of pleasing his thoughts, he calmly mutters a 'thank you' at Melissa and slowly grabs the utensils sitting beside him and digs in. He takes his time, wary of the other presences in the room. This food is so good and  _flavorful_ , unlike the bland, simple food Theo has had to eat for the last years. Theo can't help but feed the cliche, but this food is so good, Theo almost moans. Melissa eventually takes a break and joins both boys at the table to eat in silence, figuring she should eat before the chaos of the pack distracts her.

Theo feels tense at the domesticity of his situation. He can't even think of a time his own family had sat like this, eating breakfast- or any kinds of meal, really- together. This situation is very unfamiliar to Theo, so he can't exactly figure out what to do. His mind can't help but to think this as a game that he needs to figure out so he can win. Theo's mind wants to assess every aspect of Melissa and Scott's actions, every emotion,  _everything_ , to gain the upper hand. Theo's head hurts,  _breakfast isn't a puzzle, it's not something that can be solved or something you can win_ , Theo tells himself, trying to get rid of the Dread Doctor's programming. He just needs to eat, not talk and then get the hell out of there. Every passing second makes Theo more and more uncomfortable as his mind keeps trying to process the simplicity of breakfast.  _Not everything in life has to be overly complicated, Theo_.

Theo's mind feels used, like he has no more thoughts to himself. Every instinct from his childhood were replaced by orders from the Dread Doctors, Theo's been thinking like them for so long, he's having a hard time getting rid of those instincts, now that he realizes they're wrong. Theo feels ashamed of the way he's been made to think, it's just so  _wrong_.

He tries to rid himself of any thought of the Dread Doctors (Theo has found those memories to be quite upsetting) and continues to eat. Eventually, when Theo is done- after helping himself to two other full plates of food- he heads silently back upstairs. He feels full, physically, but his mind feels like an empty shell. It's unsettling, Theo doesn't know quite how to feel, after not feeling for so long.

The feeling doesn't leave as Theo sits back on his bed, hugging his knees. Theo's mind feels restless, his thoughts are all over, tripping over themselves and tangling into one big jumble of bullshit. Theo feels frustrated at his uncombed thoughts. He feels tears prickle at his eyes and he bites on his bottom lip to stop it from shaking. Feelings are impossible to Theo, he doesn't understand how they seem so overwhelming. Why isn't anyone else struggling to deal with them?

Ever since yesterday, it's been like a never ending cycle of one emotion after the other, fear replaced by sadness, replaced by frustration, and so on. Theo feels too much, he isn't used to the feeling of well,  _feeling_. He used to be able to repress most emotions, leaving behind some aggression. But now, Theo's thoughts have control over his emotions, and he has absolutely no control over his thoughts. 

Theo doesn't even know why he's feeling sad and panicked. It just seems to be the way his body wants to be feeling, without any clear reason. It's upsetting that he can't figure any of this out.

He feels so empty, yet so pressured from emotions. It's too much for Theo to take all at once. A tear falls out of his eye, the frustration engulfing Theo. He lets himself drop onto his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling of the room, huffing in defeat. Emotions were complicated and Theo hated it. Feeling nothing had been simpler, he wasn't burdened by pain and sadness. And now, that's all he feels. 

Theo feels like he's falling into a whole new world of sadness and guilt. It's a whole new level of emotions that Theo has never felt and he doesn't understand or like it at all. There's a pressure that's been building up in his chest that makes Theo want to reach into his chest and rip it out. It irritates him that he can't, actually. It's frustrating not being able to get rid of a feeling that is bothering him so much. 

Theo's attention is diverted to the sound of a car pulling up and a knock following the previous noise a few seconds later. Theo can say thanks to his chimera powers, that are finally working like they should, that Stiles had been the first of the pack to arrive. Over the next half hour, the rest of the pack slowly followed him. Lydia, Malia, Mason, Corey, Parrish, the Sheriff, Argent, who Theo assumes to be Jackson, Ethan and Derek, even Peter shows up and _Liam_. 

The young werewolf's arrival interested Theo and he actually contemplated joining them downstairs for a few seconds.  _They hate you, they don't want you interrupting their pack time,_ Theo reminded himself. 

Theo blocks out the conversations happening downstairs and continues to stare at the ceiling, blank minded. Theo feels like he can't move or think. He feels like he can't bare to really do either. 

"Theo?" Melissa asks from beside Theo, as his heart jumped. 

So much for his chimera powers finally working properly. How had he not heard or seen Melissa come in his room?

"Are you okay?" 

"Fine," Theo says immediately. "Just uh, a bit tired, I guess."

Which isn't a lie, Theo thinks. He  _is_ tired. His body feels drained and his head is clouded.

Melissa frowns. "Liam's been asking about where you are."

Theo squints his eyes at her. "I'm here?" 

 "I think he was hoping you would join them downstairs. So was I." Melissa smiles lightly at him.

What? Why would Liam want Theo downstairs when he had his whole pack there? He doesn't belong with them, that had been made pretty clear. 

"Why?" 

"Well everyone is together. Except for you. We're all here to be able to support each other after what happened," Melissa tells him, sitting besides his laying body on the bed. 

"The pack is here for each other, to be together," Theo says. "I'm not pack, therefore I shouldn't be implicated and no one wants me to be anyway." Theo shrugs, like he's not bothered by the fact. "It's pack business, I'm not part of it. Hence why I'm up here."

Theo sees an emotion flicker on Melissa's face that looks like pain. But then, Theo has a bit of a hard time distinguishing emotions, seeing as he didn't have any for most of his life.

"Theo, you may not be pack, but you need some support in life. We all went through some pretty traumatic things. We're here for each other. Pack or not."

Theo doesn't say anything. He'd never had solid support in his life and he'd turned out fine besides the whole Dread Doctors thing and the hell thing and the homelessness thing.... Okay, so maybe Theo doesn't have the best life. But he's _fine_.

"I'm fine."

Melissa gives him a sad smile and lays a hand on Theo's cheek. "No, you're not."

How could Melissa understand him so well when he never said anything?

She gets up from the bed, takes hold of his hand and tugs at it. Theo sits up from her efforts, frowning. 

"C'mon, Theo. Just for a little bit, then you can lock yourself in your room for as long as you want," Melissa negotiates. 

Theo huffs, but gets up. He knows Melissa isn't going to give up. She wants to help him and this is one of the ways she thinks could make him feel better. So, he tries, for Melissa's sake.

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took super long to update, sorry. And nothing much happened, double sorry.  
> Next chapter should hopefully get things going though!  
> (Triple sorry for any kinds of grammar mistakes and repeatedness throughout this chapter)


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